Eyes of Fire and Ice
by saraki22
Summary: During Naruto's training with Jiraiya, he changes in ways no one expected.
1. Returning

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and only use it for entertainment purposes.

It was a busy day in Konoha; the ninja village had recovered from the destruction caused by the Oto and Suna invasion just less than three years previous. Under the influence of the Godaime Hokage, everything was once again flourishing, from the market to the hospital to the Academy. Everyone even attributed to the new and even stronger relations with Suna, only those few that knew the truth that it was actually because two, at the time, Gennins that nobody wanted fought in a life and death struggle and then reached an understanding that no one but them could share was what started the new friendship. All in all it was good to be living in the Konoha village and despite the fact that the majority of the people were trained as weapons of war it was a peaceful sight.

This was the sight as two people entered the village from the East Gate. One was an man that looked to be in early to mid fifties but still very well muscled and had a definite aura of power. The other was teenager, a boy, about fourteen or fifteen that moved like a well-trained fighter but not like a shinobi. To the average person it looked like he moved like all well trained shinobi, but to shinobi the teenager moved very different, almost like he was only half a shinobi but still very dangerous if forced into a fight. "The village looks to be doing well," the teenager said in quite voice.

"Guess Tsunade has been busy," the man said. "You ready?"

"Yes," was the teenager's answer.

The man looked at his apprentice and noted the changes he went through. He had grown taller and lost his baby fat and become quite lean from the training he received. The teen's outfit changed as well, before it consisted of bright orange with blue sections. This was part of his never-ending desire to drawn attention to himself even though it was not practical for a shinobi. Now he dressed in much less eye catching gray shirt, blue pants and a white cape, a gift from some people they met along the way; the young man now also carried a sword at his hi, another gift from those same people. In fact the only thing that remained of his original wardrobe was the metal plate with the Konoha symbol on it, though it now was held in place with a long black cloth instead of the original blue. And while all these changes were significant, the most that changed about him were his eyes. Now instead of seeing a deep blue that made a person smile at their calmness, it made their blood freeze from the cold the was in them, thee result of a tragic event that occurred while they were away, "Well, Naruto, we should go see her," the man said.

"Yes," Naruto said stepping into the village with a now rare smile, "It's good to be home Jiraiya."

Jiraiya grinned at the smile from his student, "Yeah it is."

While they were walking Naruto glance at the person whom had been observing them the moment the entered the village. Naruto waved to the person motioning him to come down to greet them. With a puff of smoke and a, "Yo," of a greeting, Naruto came face to face with his Jounin-sensei, Kakashi.

Kakashi looked at Naruto and could not help but wonder what happened to change the loud enthusiastic kid to the person he was standing in front of. "Hey Naruto its good to see you again."

Naruto nodded in response and reached into his cape, "A gift from my travels." Naruto handed Kakashi a small rectangular object with the distinct righting, "Icha Icha Tactics" on it.

Kakashi's visible eye widened at the sight. He was not even aware of the newest volume even in the works, and to see a copy in front of him made him loose all train of thought. Jiraiya silently watching the scene sighed, "I understand he doesn't want to be asked a lot of questions but did he have to give away his present for his fourteenth birth day." While Kakashi already had his nose buried in the book Naruto silently walked on, with his two senseis following closely behind.

In the middle of Konoha, the Godaime calmly walked through the streets along with her young apprentice. As they moved many people bowed in greeting and respect to the powerful woman. She paused when a Chunin came up to her and handed her a small slip of paper. After she read it her eyes became wide in surprise and then she smiled. The message said that her former teammate had returned to the village and that meant the return of her surrogate little brother. She had missed Naruto a great deal because, for secrecy reasons, no message would be sent between them and her while he was away. Knowing her student was curious about the message and would want to hear about it almost as much as she would Tsunade said, "Sakura, it appears that Jiraiya has finally returned."

"That means Naruto is back too," Sakura said. She had to admit that it just was not the same without her loud teammate. She was truly happy to hear that he returned.

"Let's go see the annoying brat," Tsunade suggested. Sakura nodded happily as her mentor walked toward the East Gate. Both walked silently wondering just how strong their favorite blonde had become, and if he had changed in anyway.

It did not take long for the two kuinochi to see the tell tale long spiky white hair of Jiraiya towering over the rest of the crowd. As they approached they noticed that Naruto was not with Jiraiya but Kakashi was. "Jiraiya," Tsunade greeted, "Where is Naruto?"

Both men turned at the Godaime's voice then looked up, "He's up there looking at you mug on the mountain," Jiraiya answered. Tsunade raised her fist in preparation to hit the pervert when he quickly called out, "Naruto! Get down here!"

Less than a second later a quite voice spoke from behind Tsunade and Sakura, "Tsunade-sama, Sakura-san, it is good to see you again."

The two turned around and stared in shock and surprise at the sight that greeted them. They knew Naruto would change, but never imagined this much. Tsunade glanced over his outfit from his feet to his head. When she reached his eyes she was shocked, his eyes sent a chill up her spine when she saw them. She had once heard that the red eyes of the Kyuubi seemed to burn your soul, if that was true then the blue eyes she saw now could freeze it. Then just as quickly as she saw the coldness they became much softer, she could tell they were forced but only because she was well experienced at seeing these eyes. Wondering what caused the change Tsunade followed Naruto's line of sight and saw Sakura had finally met his gaze, it was easy to see the reason then.

Sakura was stunned by Naruto's appearance and easily recognizable change in attitude but quickly shook it off. "Naruto," she greeted, "You look good."

"As do you Sakura-san," Naruto said. Sakura was taken back a little by the 'san', but made no mention of it. "Jiraiya I believe I should return home."

"Sure Naruto," Jiraiya said. "You should get settled in before return to you duties." Jiraiya then glanced at Tsunade and Kakashi.

Catching on that Jiraiya wanted to speak privately with her and Kakashi, Tsunade spoke to Sakura, "Sakura, why don't you with him. That way you can catch up."

"Um ok Tsunade-sensei," Sukura said, wondering what was going on. She knew not to press and figured she would hear about it later.

Once the two teenagers walked off Tsunade looked directly at Jiraiya, "Ok what happened to him?"

"A lot," Jiraiya said. "I'll tell you back at your office. This is something that is going to take a while."

A few minutes later Tsunade and Kakashi waited for Jiraiya to begin. He was correctly looking at the carved face of his deceased student. "Well I guess I should begin with where we went to train because that was the beginning of his changes." Jiraiya turned back to the other two, "We went to a secluded village deep in the mountains of Southern Fire Country. It was a village few people know about, I only knew about it because an old friend showed it to me once. This was a one of the last places where samurai actually still live and prosper. And I'm not talking those pathetic hired thugs shinobi runs into all the time, these were real samurai with power, techniques and training strategies that easily rival ours." Tsunade and Kakashi were speechless by the news. While Kakashi had never run into samurai like what Jiraiya described, Tsunade had. It was when she was a Jounin and on a mission in the north. She only met one but even that was enough to leave a lasting impression, the grace and fluidity of his movements put even the Hyuuga to shame. "The samurai were uneasy to let us stay, but after I mentioned my old friend they allowed us, as long as we did not disturb village or its citizens."

"In other words as long as Naruto kept his mouth shut and you didn't peep," Tsunade commented.

Jiraiya gave her a flat look. "I would not try even if the opportunity presented itself. And don't believe that it was because the women were not beautiful because they were. It was because there was just an atmosphere that I shouldn't." The two gave him a questioning look but he just moved on. "The first few weeks I worked on Naruto's chakra control and speed, and it grew every day, I would almost say that he was a latent genius if I had too. During that time some of the more curious samurai would observe us and our training style, but most would just move on after a day or so of watching."

"You say most, how many stayed?" Kakashi asked. He was truly curious about these samurai.

"Only one actually," Jiraiya said. "A girl about Naruto's age named Keiko. She would come just about every day and watch Naruto train. After about two weeks of watching she started to talk to us, well mostly him. At first the brat didn't really know what to do because no one ever really came up to him first." Jiraiya smiled at the memory for moment, "They soon became friends and started discussing the differences between shinobi and samurai trying to convince the each other which was better. Turns out there really is not much difference once you think about it, in fact the only real difference is how we mold and focus chakra. Shinobi use hand seals, samurai use their blade." He then shook his head, "Anyway about a two months after Keiko and Naruto became friends it was obvious they became more. At first the other samurai were against it, but Naruto was not only able to convince them to change their minds but also, and I still don't know how, to let him train in their fighting style."

"Naruto was trained as a samurai?" Tsunade asked unbelievingly.

Jiraiya nodded and continued, "So from that time on Naruto spent his mornings training with me and afternoons and evening training with a samurai called Sugita Hajime. Turned out he was one of the best there, I wouldn't doubt he could give a few of our Jounins a good fight. Now this routine progressed for about a year or so and let me tell you the combined training was well intense would be the correct word. But all in all I would say he was truly the happiest I've ever seen him. He actually smiled with meaning and not that fake one he shows everyone."

"If he was happy?" Kakashi asked, "Then why are his eyes so cold?"

"I'm getting to that," Jiraiya answered, "You have to hear the beginning to understand the rest." He took a deep breath to ready himself for what is to come, "After another month of training Naruto told Keiko about the Kyuubi. When he told me he was going to do it I asked why, he answered that he really liked Keiko and if they was going to continue in anyway she needed to know everything about him."

"Did she reject him?" Tsunade asked, worried that it was his trust in telling someone his secret only to rejected because of it.

"Just the opposite actually," Jiraiya answered with a smile. "Turns out she watched so closely those first few weeks because she had the ability to sense the demon chakra even when he wasn't using it. I don't know what she said to him but after that they became even closer. It was so easy to see that those two loved each other a great deal. Four months later they even asked the leader of the village if she could return with us. At first he said no, but after a couple months of convincing he finally relented, under their word that they would not reveal their training secrets to anyone of Konoha."

"What happened to her?" Tsunade asked. She could see where this was going and felt her heart cracking for Naruto.

"She was killed," Jiraiya answered, his voice strained. "A village close by was having problems with Missing-nins so she and some of the others went to deal with it. Naruto volunteered to help and they accepted. Keiko was killed while saving Naruto from a rather nasty Genjutsu. When he came out he saw her and he broke. That's the only way to describe it. And I don't mean the seal, he learned exceptional control over the months of training. It was his mind that broke, according to what the samurai told me he picked up her sword and when they say his eyes it made the Missing-nins and the Samurai freeze." Jiraiya swallowed hard, "He then slaughtered the rest the Missing-nins totally alone. After it was done he let his emotions out, they had to carry him and Keiko's body back to the village." Jiraiya had to blink back the tears at the thought of Naruto's face. "After the funeral Naruto wouldn't do anything for over a week, he barely slept or even ate. Then one day he got up walked past me and straight to the village leader's house. An hour later he came out and said that he would take up Keiko's style in order to honor her. What I didn't know at the time was that Keiko was to inherit the village's strongest fighting art, the Tenken (Heaven Sword) style. He mastered it in under a year, the fastest anyone in the line. But as a result of Keiko's death, the Naruto that we knew died with her, now there is only this one."

After several minutes of silence Kakashi asked, "So is he a samurai or a shinobi?"

Jiraiya turned to him and said, "Both and neither, he combines bother ways of fighting into his own unique style. A combination of shinobi jutsus and samurai sword techniques."

"Jiraiya," Tsunade said, "How strong is he?'

"Strong," Jiraiya said, "And smart to, he is far from the naïve boy that left nearly two and a half years ago."

Not far away Naruto and Sakura were busy cleaning out Naruto's apartment. It was mostly dusting and airing out his furniture because no one had been there for a long time. They worked in relative silence, Sakura not knowing what to say to this Naruto and Naruto not really wanting to say anything. Finally after a hour of silence Sakura could not take it anymore. "Naruto! What happened to you?" she demanded.

Naruto calmly turned to her, "Do you really wish to know?"

"Yes!" Sakura said sternly.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"Because you're my friend," Sakura said calming down. "You've changed and you seem more like…" She could not finish, it was still to hard to say even now. She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and looked to see Naruto right there.

Naruto knew what Sakura was thinking. He knew how he was now and the similarities between him and their former teammate. "I'll tell you," he said. He did not like talking about what happened but he did not want Sakura to worry about leaving either.

Two hours later Naruto finished. Sakura was speechless, she had never expected anything like. Naruto went to continue cleaning when she got up and hugged him crying, "I'm so sorry Naruto."

Naruto did not return the hug nor did he cry, he just said, "Don't tell anyone."

"I won't," Sakura said disengaging the hug. As soon she did Naruto went back to cleaning the apartment.

A half an hour later they were finished, although Sakura was not aware of it. After Naruto's story she just could not concentrate on anything. It was Naruto's voice that brought her out of her daze, "You should get home, we'll probably have missions tomorrow." Sakura silently nodded and went home to sleep.

The next day Sakura made her way to Naruto's apartment to tell him they were to meet Kakashi at their old training grounds at noon. When she arrived she saw Naruto was just leaving his apartment she walked up to him, "Hello Naruto," she greeted simply, after yesterday she had no idea how to act around him.

Naruto nodded in return, "Do we have any missions?"

"Not yet," Sakura said. "Kakashi-sensei said to meet him at Training Field 7 at noon."

Again Naruto nodded. "I'll see you then."

Naruto started to walk off but Sakura stopped him, "Naruto since it's still early how about we get some breakfast?" Naruto paused then nodded in response again.

Five minutes latter they were both at Ichiruka Ramen. Naruto was eating his third bowl long after Sakura finished eating her first and only. One thing about Naruto that did not change was his appetite for Ramen, he just ate slower now. Sakura smiled seeing that at least some part of the old Naruto was there. She sat silently trying to imagine what he was feeling when he suddenly asked, "What have you and the others be doing?"

Startled for a moment Sakura answered, "Oh well let me see," she thought for a minute on where to begin. "Well as you know I've been training with Tsunade-sama, she's taught me a lot, it will still take me a long time to get as good as her but I'm gotten a lot stronger." Naruto nodded and signaled for her to continue. "I've become a Chunin, in fact all the Rookie Nine have become Chunin, well except for you." She looked and just continued to eat, but she could tell he was listening. "Neji is actually a Jounin and so is Temari and Kankurou."

"And Garra?" Naruto asked.

"He's the knew Kazekage," Sakura answered.

"I see," Naruto said giving no approval or disproval.

"Let's see who else?" Sakura asked herself thinking about whom Naruto might want to know about. Then she remembered, "Oh yeah, Iruka-sensei is still teaching at the Academy and Konohamaru and his friends have graduated from the Academy just recently. Why don't we go see them?"

"Not yet," Naruto said, "By now Iruka is at the Academy and Konohamaru is at the Mission Office." Sakura looked at her watch and nodded in agreement.

Sakura heard two familiar voices outside the stand. Turning to them she saw it was Shikamaru, Ino and Temari. "Ino-pig, Shikamaru, Temari-san!" the three stopped, "Look who's here." She pointed to Naruto slowly turned back.

After a few brief seconds it was Ino who spoke first, "Is that Naruto?"

"Yes," Naruto said. "I heard about your promotions, Congratulations." The three were surprised to see Naruto to begin with but his new clothes and attitude were a total shock. While they were silently starring Naruto was thinking, "I'm glad I can keep this Genjutsu over my eyes. Jiraiya, Kakashi and Tsunade can handle it but I'm not sure the others can.

"What happened?" Shikamaru asked.

"Training," Naruto answered.

"Well it certainly agrees with you," Ino said. "Forehead must really like the new you." Although confused by Naruto's change she was telling the truth about complements.

Naruto nodded but did not answer. Sakura seeing this and the confused looks decided to change the subject, "So Temari-san, are you here to get ready for the Chunin Exam."

"Um...Yeah," Temari said. "I just got here a couple of days ago." Although she could not explain it Naruto's new demeanor reminded her of someone.

"So Naruto are you going to participate?" Ino asked.

"No," Naruto answered. Everyone gave him a confusing look, "I do not have a teammates my rank." He glanced at the sky, "We need to go." Sakura looked at her watch again and nodded.

After they left the three looked at each other. "He's changed so much," Ino said.

"Yeah and the way he spoke," Temari said. "I wasn't like he was rude it was more like he…"

"Doesn't like to talk," Shikamaru finished. "I wonder what happened during his training?" The other two nodded in agreement not quite believing Naruto had changed so much.

Author's Note: To those that are reading Beasts, I am still working on it but I have a massive case of writer's block. This idea came to me while i was thinking about the next section of Beasts.


	2. First Mission

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and only use it for entertainment purposes.

Naruto and Sakura walked silently to Team Seven's old training area. It was time to meet Kakashi, Sakura hoped it was for a mission but Naruto suspected that it was to test their abilities because he knew Jiraiya had told them about his time away. And while he did not want many people knowing about his time away he knew that certain people had a right to know. They soon arrived and found their friend and superior waiting for them. This caught Sakura by surprise because she had witnessed him still being very tardy when training under Tsunade, "Kakashi-sensei, you're actually here before us."

"Yes well I decided that I should not be late," Kakashi replied. "You've both been through some extensive training and I need to test your abilities."

"Together or one at a time?" Naruto asked.

"Together," Kakashi said, "I need to see if you will work well together." He then slid his hitaite up revealing the Sharingan and pulled out two bells. "This will not be like the first time. I will use all of my skills to stop you. You have until sundown." Kakashi suddenly through down a smoke bomb and disappeared from sight.

Sakura went on the defensive stance while Naruto remained still, the only indication that he was preparing for anything was that his sword was now in his left hand. Sakura was glancing around the vicinity trying to find Kakashi. "Where could he be," Sakura thought. "Left, right, front, back, above? No if he's anywhere he's," she clenched her fist, "Below!" she exclaimed punching the ground causing a localized earthquake.

Kakashi, whom had been underground, was totally shocked by this display. "She has to release her chakra at the point of impact to create such a force. Tsunade-sama trained her well." He quickly leaped out of the crater so he would not be as vulnerable. When he landed he noticed a distinct lack of sound from his hip. Looking down he noticed that the bells were missing. Knowing that he tied them securely, thus eliminating the fact that they had fallen off, only left one option; someone took them. A jingle to his right caught his and Sakura's attention. When he looked over he saw Naruto holding the bells, his sword back at his side.

"When did you get them?" Sakura asked. "You didn't even move."

"As soon as Kakashi-san said go," Naruto answered. "He was distracted by his own smoke bomb."

"But you never left my side," Sakura objected. "No even Lee-san is that fast." Naruto's answer was to point behind her. She and Kakashi turned and noticed a second Naruto standing there holding his sword in left hand.

"Kage Bushin," Kakashi said. "You created it to distract me while you took the bells." Naruto nodded, "How did you get past the Sharingan?" he was truly curious as he slid his hitaite back down.

"The first mark of the Sharingan allows the possessor to see Chakra the body admits," Naruto began, "The second mark allows them to copy techniques and the third increases a person's reaction time. All three combined allows the Sharingan to see the moves of a person a few moments before the move, by following the chakra the body uses to perform jutsus or high damaging Taijutsu." Naruto dispersed the clone and walked up to Sakura and gave one of the bells. "I merely found a way to get around it."

"By only using the absolute bare minimum to move your muscles and precise timed release like what Sakura did," Kakashi concluded. "You keep it internal until you need it."

"But how did you know about the individual Sharingan marks' abilities?" Sakura asked.

"I was going to face Sharingan when I came back, whether it was Sasuke or Itachi as an enemy so Jiraiya taught me a lot about the Sharingan," Naruto answered.

"Well since you're done why don't you take the rest of the day off," Kakashi said. Even from Jiraiya's description he did not expect them to get the bells this quickly. "Meet at the Hokage Office tomorrow to begin missions again."

"Ok Kakashi-sensei," Sakura responded. "Naruto I guess I'll see you later then."

"Very well," Naruto said. Sakura hesitatingly walked off still not sure how to handle Naruto.

Once she was gone Kakashi said, "The Genjutsu over you eyes is pretty good. The Sharingan can't even see through."

"My eyes startled you and Tsunade," Naruto replied. "They would scare her, I don't want her to be afraid of me."

"What will you do when you do face Sasuke again?" Kakashi asked.

"Depends on him," Naruto responded. "But I will not hold back like I did last time."

Across the village word of Naruto returning had spread among those that were once Gennins at before Naruto left. Word had also spread about his new character and many were questioning about his changes. "So from what I could tell," Shikamaru said, "Naruto's personality has completely reversed since we last saw."

"A lot can happen in the time he was away," Choiji commented. "I wonder what happened?"

"I think Sakura might know," Ino said. "She kept glancing at him like she knew."

"I saw that as well," Shikamaru confirmed.

"Perhaps we should ask her about it," Ino suggested.

Shikamaru thought for a minute, "I don't think that would be wise, what ever happened must have been very serious. Naruto probably does not want to tell many people and probably asked Sakura to not tell anyone either."

"I guess your right," Ino conceded. "It's just hasn't been the same without his loud voice."

Inside her office Tsunade was thinking about the report Kakashi had given her. The test that Kakashi performed was a time-honored tradition in Konoha. It was designed to test the skills of the individual and of a group, but from the time it took Naruto to take the bells it could only hint at the skills Naruto now possessed. Looking up she asked, "What do you want Jiraiya?"

"Just to talk for a minute," Jiraiya said. "I know you're wondering what kind of missions to send Naruto on."

"Yeah," Tsunade admitted, "You won't tell me the kind of training…"

"Not won't," Jiraiya corrected, "Can't. I only know of half the training he did, the half I gave him. I was not present to see his samurai abilities being developed, and they are as secretive about their training as we are."

"You can't tell me," Tsunade said, "And the bell test was pretty useless, Naruto got in just a few minutes."

"Doesn't surprise me," Jiraiya said. "He could probably handle some A-rank assassinations on his own."

"You think he's that good?" Tsunade asked.

"You and I both know it's not just about skill it's about mentality," Jiraiya said. "He is willing to kill now not just beat his enemies."

Tsunade closed her eyes at the image she pictured of Naruto killing someone. She knew he was right, that is what separated Anbu from other shinobi ranks; they had to do the dirty work that the others did not. Before Naruto left she could see Naruto killing anyone unless it was in self-defense, and even then she could see him mourning the loss of the enemy. Now however she could easily just picture him killing with those cold eyes and walking away. "What happened to him?" she thought aloud.

"He lost the first person he truly loved his own age that not only accepted everything about him loved him back just as much," Jiraiya answered.

"You're may be right. He probably can handle some solo missions," Tsunade said. "But I think him being around people that care about him will help so I won't send him out on any solo missions for a while. I know how strong Sakura and Kakashi are, I'll have them doing some B-rank missions to start off with." She then thought for a minute, "The question become how long until he goes after Sasuke, and what will he do when he does?"

"He'll wait for a month or so," Jiraiya responded, "He knows that Orochimaru will be able switch bodies in just a few months' time. What he will do will actually depend on Sasuke. He could do anything from incapacitate to out right kill."

"I'm afraid you may be right about that," Tsunade said.

It was early in the morning and Naruto was practicing in the forest with his sword. He was standing in front of training post about a meter thick. Taking a deep breath he drew his sword faster than the eye could follow and then resheathed the sword. After a few seconds the top half of the post blew off and traveled five meters cashing into a tree. Naruto turned to the tree and looked at up at the person standing on the lowest branch. The person on the branch dropped down and examined the post, "Remind not to get hit by that."

"The best way to avoid my blade is not to become my enemy," Naruto said. "What do you want Kakashi?"

"Just wanted to tell you that we have a Mission," Kakashi said. "It's an A-rank Mission."

"Assignation?" Naruto asked.

"No retrieval," Kakashi said. "A Chunin has been captured by some shinobi from Oto."

"When do we leave?" Naruto asked.

"As soon as I get Sakura," Kakashi said.

"Is Sasuke involved?" Naruto asked.

"Not that we know of," Kakashi answered.

"Let's go find Sakura," Naruto said.

They quickly found their female teammate coming out of the hospital. She had been working at the hospital for a little over a year since she was now a Medic-nin. When they approached she stopped wondering what was going on, "We have an A-rank retrieval mission Sakura," Kakashi answered her inquiring gaze.

"Who are we rescuing?" Sakura asked.

"A Chunin that was captured by Oto-nins," Kakashi answered.

"Is Sasuke-kun involved?" she had to ask.

"Unknown," Naruto answered. "We need to leave."

"Where are we heading?" Sakura asked again.

"We are heading towards the Valley of the End," Kakashi said, he glanced at Naruto to see if he reacted, Naruto did not. "If we assume the Chunin is injured then we should be able to catch up to them."

"Orochimaru wants current information," Naruto said. "That is the only reason they would leave the Chunin alive."

"Do we know who the Chunin is?" Sakura said.

"Doesn't matter," Naruto said. "We just need to retrieve the Chunin." Without another word the three left for the North Gate.

A few hours past and Kakashi caught up with one of the Nin-dogs he summoned to look for any trails, "Did you find a trail?"

"Yes," the dog answered, "They are only a few kilometers north of here."

"How many are there?" Naruto asked.

"Seven," the dog answered.

"Lead the way," Kakashi said. The dog nodded and ran ahead of the humans.

Another few minutes later the dog suddenly called back, "They stopped and six are spreading out."

"They must have detected us," Sakura said. "They are probably setting up an ambush to allow the seventh and prisoner to escape. What should we do?"

"We can't let the Chunin fall into Orochimaru's hands," Kakashi said. "We will have to split up. We don't know the strength of the shinobi that is carrying the Chunin, but we should assume that they are Jounin level. It would be best to have the strongest go off with a prisoner, it would easier for them to handle."

"I'll head after the Chunin," Naruto said.

"Naruto, you can't…" Sakura was trying to object but Kakashi stopped her.

"He's right Sakura," Kakashi said. "Against greater numbers the likely hood of injuries increases. Even with Naruto's fast healing they could overwhelm us if you went alone and I was injured. And I am the most experienced it is better for me to fight the multiple opponents, with you to heal me if necessary."

Sakura reluctantly nodded and let Naruto go. Without so much as a backwards-glace Naruto sped off with the Nin-dog leading. When they were about ten meters ahead six Oto-nins jumped out to try and stop him. He did not even slow down because he knew Sakura and Kakashi would keep them from pursuing. "They've stopped following us," the dog said. "And we are closing in on the seventh and the Chunin."

"How much further?" Naruto asked.

"We'll catch up to them in about two minutes," the dog answered. A few seconds later the dog looked back, "I'm now smelling someone else there."

"How many?" Naruto asked.

"Three," the dog answered.

"I guess they want this Chunin pretty badly," Naruto thought.

A few minutes later Naruto exited the forest and saw four masked Oto-nins carrying a body tied up draped over one of their shoulders. "That's them," the dog confirmed.

"Stay here," Naruto commanded, "You wont be anymore help now." The dog nodded stopping on a branch to watch Naruto's fight.

Naruto soon caught up to the Oto-nins they had apparently detected them because they stopped and were waiting for him. "Take a look at this guy," one of the Oto-nins said. From what Naruto could tell he was a Jounin. "They sent the weakest to try and stop us."

"Yeah he barely has any chakra," a second said.

The third was about to speak but Naruto dropped the Genjutsu over his eyes shutting him up before he could speak. Naruto then went for his sword, "Never underestimate your opponent, first rule in all battles."

One of the Oto-nins shook himself out of his daze from seeing the ice-like eyes. "Just a cheap Genjutsu," he muttered. He drew a kunai and ran at Naruto, his speed was impressive but that did not seem to matter to Naruto who just stood there.

Naruto watched as the person came closer. He was waiting for just the right moment, then his body seemed to flinch and the suddenly the charging Oto-nin dropped to the ground dead. "Tenken Style: Obake Kiritsukerun (Ghost Slash)" Naruto walked past the dead Oto-nin and towards the remaining three.

The three Oto-nins took a step back. They were afraid; it was like Naruto was not even there. They could not sense anything from him, no chakra signature, no killing intent, and barely even a noise. The last part was what frightened them the most, Oto-nins were specially trained to be able to detect even the minutest sound. In fact that was how they were able to detect the three, four if the counted the Nin-dog, which was following them. "What the hell are you?"

Naruto did not answer; he merely stopped and drew his sword. Then in a burst of speed disappeared right in front of the Oto-nins' eyes. Then the one caring the captured Chunin heard, "Tenken Style: Jusan Ayumi (Thirteen Steps)," the Oto-nin turned around and saw his other two comrades fall dead just like the first one had. "Give me her," Naruto spoke with a neutral voice. The Oto-nin handed over his captive and Naruto gently placed her on the ground, all the while not taking his eyes off the scared enemy. Finally standing back up straight Naruto spoke again. "I left you alive to deliver a message to Uchiha Sasuke. Tell him, 'I'm bring him back this time.'"

Naruto sheathed his sword and picked up the Chunin and walked off leaving the Oto-nin who just dropped to the ground. "W…Who…was that?" he asked himself.

After Naruto felt the Oto-nin leave the area he placed the Chunin on the ground to get a better look at her. Who he saw surprised him slightly, it was Hinata. "That explains why Orochimaru wanted her alive," he thought. After a quick examination Naruto determined that she was merely unconscious. He did not detect any Genjutsu nor did he see any recent injuries. It made him believe that she was drugged or put to sleep without a Genjutsu. "Probably drugged, unless sleep is caused by a Genjutsu she would have woke up from the trip." He then picked her up again and made his way back to Kakashi and Sakura.

When he arrived a few minutes later Naruto saw all the Oto-nins were either dead or unconscious. "I see you retrieved the target." Kakashi said lowering his headband.

"It's Hinata," Naruto said. "I believed she has been drugged."

Sakura moved to inspect Hinata and activated her medical jutsu that searched for poisons and drugs. After scanning Hinata's body for a few seconds she said, "He's right. From what I can tell it's only designed to leave her unconscious for a few hours."

"Can you remove the drug?" Kakashi asked.

"No," Sakura said. "There is no wound from which the drug entered. That probably means she ingested it somehow."

"Then we should return," Naruto said taking Hinata once again.

During the trip back it was completely silent. Naruto did not have anything to say and the Kakashi and Sakura were still trying to figure out how to deal with the new Naruto. Even with him right in front of them, they could still not believe this is the same one that left Konoha those couple of short years ago. After a few hours the sun was beginning to set and as they approached the North Gates of Konoha. When they arrived several members of the Hyuuga Main House as well as the Hokage met the three. Coming to a stop Naruto glances over the members of the Hyuuga Clan and sees several had a scowl adorned on their faces. He knew the scowls were directed at him but he paid them no mind. Giving Hinata's sleeping form to a couple of Medic-nins that just arrived he said, "Retrieval successful."

"Good," Tsunade replied. "Is there anything we should now about?"

"My initial examination of her when Naruto brought her back showed that she had been drugged," Sakura responded to her mentor. "I believe the drug was simply designed to keep her out until they reached Oto Village. But I recommend a more complete diagnosis at the hospital."

"I agree," Tsunade said. "I'll tell the Medics to perform a deep scan as soon I get there." She then turned to Kakashi, "Once we learned it was the Hyuuga Heir that was taken the Hyuuga Clan insisted they be here to observe her safe return." Kakashi nodded in understanding, the most powerful clan in the village loosing their heir would be disastrous not only to them but to the entire village. "Now I will expect a full report from you first thing in the morning, I have a patients to treat and you need to rest up."

"We were forced to split up," Kakashi told the Hokage. "You'll have to ask Naruto about the specifics of the rescue itself as he was the one to retrieve Hinata."

"I'll you then Naruto," Tsunade commanded. Naruto gave a slight nod and walked into the village.

As he passed he glanced at Hyuuga Haishi. The Hyuuga Head was a bit unnerved by the look in the Kyuubi Vessel's eyes. He remembered they had such energy from the few times he had seen them when Naruto was a child, even when Naruto was depressed. Now it looked like he was looking into a ghosts eyes that made him shiver on the inside. When Naruto passed him Haishi activated his Byakugan and looked at Naruto. What he saw surprised him more than when he saw Naruto use the Kyuubi's chakra when he beat his nephew in the Chunin Exam. Naruto's entire body was almost devoid of chakra, just enough to make his body move, except for one part that is. Right in the spot where he Haishi knew the Seal was there was a bright ball of chakra tightly compressed with only small bits leaking out to the rest of his body.

Never in all his years of scanning people to see their chakra had Haishi seen it like this. A person usually has their chakra in their body and there is a center source but it usually looks like a burning blue flame not a perfect sphere a brightly pulsing energy like he was observing in Naruto. "Just what could this mean?"

Seeing agitated state one of the other Hyuuga's asked, "Is there something wrong Haishi-sama? Do you think he injured Hinata-sama in anyway?"

Haishi turned to the speaking Hyuuga, "No I believe he did not harm my daughter. Tell the other members of the Clan to keep their distance from him for now. Something has changed him and he could be dangerous if provoked."

"Then perhaps we should remove that threat," suggested another Hyuuga.

"You wouldn't get within twenty paces before you died," a voice spoke from behind the assembled Hyuuga. The group turned to see the Toad Summoner himself, Jiraiya standing there with his arms crossed glaring at them with open hostility. "And he is not a threat unless you make him one. If you have hostile intentions against my student then I suggest you listen to your Clan Head. Because he won't hesitate to kill someone if they threaten him."

"What happened to him?" Haishi asked.

"The same thing that happened to you," Jiraiya answered.

Haishi looked stunned for a moment at the reference then became sadness and finally understanding. "Leave him be that is a direct order to the entire Clan. Anyone who violates it will answer to me directly is that understood."

"Yes Haishi-sama!" the one who suggested Naruto's elimination spoke quickly and fearfully. The combined threat of from Jiraiya about Naruto, Jiraiya's own underlying threat and the threat from the Hyuuga Head made everyone within hearing distance take the message very seriously and decided to avoid upsetting the Kyuubi Vessel.


	3. Coming Enemies

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and only use it for entertainment purposes

In the black pit that housed the Oto shinobi one was silently making his way to one of the innermost chambers. This was the Chunin that escaped with his life only because the one that rescued their target had left him alive to deliver a message. This was the reason why he was heading away from Orochimaru's private quarters to a room not far away. This room belonged to the Snake Sannin's protégé, Uchiha Sasuke. Every one of the Oto shinobi knew that Sasuke's authority was second only to Kabuto under Orochimaru. This meant that Sasuke was always near the innermost sections of the underground complex.

Walking past Kabuto's private medical laboratory the Chunin made his way to Sasuke's room. When he arrived he knocked softly and waited for permission to enter. He did not have to wait long, "Come."

The Chunin opened the door and a quick survey of the room allowed him to see why Sasuke rarely left his room. The room was quite large with nearly everything a shinobi could ever need in the way of training. Dozens if not hundreds of scrolls, training logs and targets for shuriken and kunai practice, a large open area at the back for Taijutsu practice, and incredibly smooth and slick walls for chakra control exercises. After the Chunin's quick scanning of the room he found Sasuke near his living space, only a small bed and desk, sitting looking over a scroll. "Sasuke-sama I have a message for you," the Chunin said as calmly as he could. Sasuke did not have an aura of cruelty like Orochimaru but he seemed to have a real temper for being interrupted for any reason.

"Tell Kabuto if he wishes to send a message do it himself," Sasuke said.

"I…it's not from Kabuto, Sasuke-sama," the Chunin informed. "Nor is it from Orochimaru-sama." This caught Sasuke's attention and turned to the Chunin. The Chunin repressed a shiver at Sasuke's now entirely black eyes, a side effect of the Level Three Curse Seal Orochimaru had just given him. Silently the Oto-nin wonder who's eyes were scarier the empty black pits on Sasuke or the glacier like blue eyes he encountered just hours prior. "The message is from a Konoha Shinobi. He said this time he was bringing you back."

"So the Dobe has returned," Sasuke mused. He then turned to the Chunin allowing what little light three was in the room to reveal his pale skin and tattoo like marks of the Level One Curse Seal that now permanently covered his body, another side effect of the Level Three. "Leave," he ordered the Chunin.

The Chunin quickly complied and exited the room. Once he was out he let off a slight sigh of relief. No one really liked dealing with Sasuke, not even Kabuto, because it was like he looked at you like you were some kind of bug that needed to be stepped on. The Chunin had not taken even more than two steps when another arrogant voice stopped him, "So you failed to retrieve even the weakest of the Hyuuga Clan," the Chunin turned around and saw Kabuto with his ever present smirk on his face. "And you delivered a message to Sasuke-kun as well."

"Yes," the Chunin confirmed. "We were tracked down by three Konoha shinobi. Six of the original capture team stayed behind. One got past the six and tracked the Jounin leader down and the others at the rendezvous point. He then quickly killed the others with barely any effort and let me live to deliver a message to Sasuke-sama."

"And what was the message?" and deep voice asked from one of the many shadows. Orochimaru stepped out to address the Chunin.

"A…all he said was that he was bring Sasuke back this time," the Chunin nervously answered.

"And who gave you this message?" Kabuto asked. He was curious over who could kill two Jounins and a Chunin with such ease as the Chunin described.

"I don't know his name," the Chunin admitted. "But he used Kenjutsu and hand blonde hair and blue eyes." No sooner than the Chunin finished he felt a sharp pain in his chest he looked down just before he died he saw a kunai sticking out.

"Sounds like he is describing Naruto-kun," Kabuto answered. "He's apparently improved a great deal."

"I'm going to face him," Sasuke said from his door way. "The Dobe still thinks he can match me. It is time I put him in his place."

"That is an excellent idea Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru chuckled. "Your new Level of Curse Seal needs to be tested before you confront Itachi." The mention of his brother's name Sasuke activated his Sharingan, turning his black eyes red, and caused the marks of the Level One Curse Seal to pulse. Orochimaru smiled at this knowing the easiest way to manipulate Sasuke was to mention Itachi, "Why don't you practice your Summoning. There is no doubt my fool of a former teammate taught the Kyuubi Brat his summoning tricks. You should be prepared to counter them."

"I don't need you're help in my training," Sasuke retorted before walking off.

After he was gone Kabuto turned to Orochimaru, "Is it wise to send Sasuke-kun out when it is so close to time to switch to his body?"

"I was telling the truth about the Level Three Curse Seal needing to be tested," Orochimaru. "I will need it when I face my former associates. They will be on the move again as well and will most likely try and kill me."

"As you wish Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto bowed. "I will make the preparations to ensure that Konoha does not get Sasuke-kun back when he goes to face Naruto-kun." Orochimaru did not give Kabuto any acknowledgment and just walked off to perform more experiments on one of his many captives.

It was before dawn and Naruto was already up and out in the forest going through some sword katas he had learned back in the samurai village. The current kata was a close range exercise where the maximum range of movement was only about a meter. It was one of many stages that made Tenken such a dangerous style of swordsmanship. Because in the Tenken style the user was able to kill a person from either close range or long range with utmost efficiency.

After he finished his last kata he sheathed his katana and turned to his right where an observer had been watching. "I encountered a true samurai when I was a Jounin," Tsunade said approaching Naruto. "He was quite skilled but I don't think he could match your skill."

"There are not many styles that can match Tenken," Naruto said. "Is there anything you wished to ask me?"

"Not really," Tsunade said. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. You're old friends have been asking about your changes." Naruto looked at her for moment before she continued, "I haven't told them anything, only that if you wanted to tell them you would."

"I know," Naruto replied. He then gave her a small smile, "Kiba came by last night yelling and asking about what happened to me. The landlord kicked him out for disturbing the people of my building. And to answer your inquiry I am doing well."

"Good to hear," Tsunade said. "You know Jiraiya told me a lot about Keiko. She sounded like a special girl. I wish I could have met her."

"She was," Naruto agreed. "And I wish you could have met her as well."

"Well I need to head back before Shizune notices I'm not in bed and comes looking for me," Tsunade said. "I'll see you later today." Naruto gave the Hokage a brief nod and went back to training this time running through hand seals as fast as he could. As she left Tsunade took one last look thinking, "I hope you're able to deal with the loss of a loved one better than I did Naruto."

The leader of the Hyuuga Clan was sitting in the Clan's private shrine looking at one of many pictures that lined the wall. This one was of a woman in her early twenties. She had short dark blue hair that framed her round face and the typical pale eyes of the Hyuuga Clan, in all it was almost a picture of what Hinata would look like in just a few years. The picture was of his late wife that died shortly after Hanabi was born. Hiashi was here because of the statement Jiraiya said after Hinata was rescued. After his wife died the Hyuuga Head became much colder than he was before, even colder than when his twin brother died a year previous. No one knew this but it was his wife's death that caused him to push Hinata away. His eldest daughter looked so much like his late wife it hurt him just to look into her face for many years. "You probably hated the way I treated Hinata didn't you?" he silently asked the picture. "I probably would have still treated her like that if it wasn't for him. After Neji lost to him it allowed many of my old wounds to heal. And now he has experienced the same ones."

The door behind him sliding open and someone entering the shrine interrupted Hiashi's thoughts. When he turned around Hiashi saw his nephew entering the shrine, "I was not aware you were in here Hiashi-sama," Neji said. "I shall leave you so I do not interrupt."

"You were not interrupting Neji," Hiashi assured. "I was just finishing, Hanabi will be returning from her Gennin duties and I will need to prepare for her afternoon training." Neji nodded and stepped further into the shrine. He approached Hiashi and stood next to him gazing at a picture of a man that looked like a younger Hiashi. It was Hizashi, Hiashi's twin and Neji's father. "You come to pay your respects to your father every time you leave on a mission, do you not?"

"Yes," Neji answered. "But I do not have a mission today, this time I came to apologize to your wife for not protecting Hinata as I should." He then bowed to the picture and gave a silent prayer asking for forgiveness for failing in his duty.

Hiashi said nothing to this. Ever since Neji's first Chunin Exam he had taken his duty to protect Hinata very seriously. He knew that nothing he would say would alleviate Neji's guilt for not being there to protect Hinata. After Neji's prayer was finished Hiashi spoke, "Continue to aid her training and that will ensure her safety."

Neji nodded understanding what Hiashi was saying. He could not be around and protect Hinata all the time. It was simply impossible with both of their duties to Konoha. So to ensure her safety was too making sure she was strong enough to protect herself. "We will continue our training after she has rested."

It was around noon when Naruto ended his meeting with Sakura and Kakashi. Not much happened only Kakashi telling them they had no missions for the day. After a brief discussion of when to meet next Kakashi let his team go and he buried his nose in the Icha Icha Tactics Naruto gave a few days ago. So that meant Naruto was free for the next three days, unless an emergency came up. Naruto decided to take a walk around Konoha and take the village in greater detail since he was so rushed last time.

After an hour of exploring Naruto was stopped when he saw a familiar scared face coming down the street. Seeing his old teacher brought a small smile to Naruto's face as Iruka recognized his favorite student. "Naruto," Iruka greeted as soon as he close enough. "I'm sorry I couldn't see you when you first got back."

"That is not a problem Iruka-sensei," Naruto replied. "With the mission so soon after it was not your fault."

Iruka's face became a bit somber, "Hokage-sama told me a little bit about what happened." Naruto nodded, he expected Tsunade would tell Iruka at least some of his story. He was planning on telling Iruka himself when he got the chance. "How much did she tell you?"

"Only a bit," Iruka said. "If you don't want to tell me then you do not have too."

"I consider you family," Naruto said. "For that I think you deserve to know." Iruka gave Naruto a smile that seemed sad and happy at the same time. Happy that Naruto considered him family and sad for what happened to Naruto. "Would you mind if we talk about this somewhere else?"

"No of course not Naruto," Iruka said.

The nine members of Akatsuki were gathering once again. They knew why they were summoned, the container of the Kyuubi had returned from his time away from Konoha and that meant that it was now time to begin again.

In the darkened cavern all nine members of the organization appeared. The center figure spoke first, "The Kyuubi has returned. We shall begin once again. Itachi and Kisame shall retrieve him. When he leaves Konoha the next time."

"That may not happen for a while," Kisame pointed out. "We won't be able to just walk in like we did last time."

"We have information that the he left a message to Itachi's brother," the leader said. "The vessel will search him out when Orochimaru sends him after it."

"Do you wish us to deal with Orochimaru as well?" Itachi inquired. "He knows about our plans for the Demons."

"No concentrate on taking the Kyuubi's host," the leader instructed. "I will deal with Orochimaru myself when the time is right. He was a fool to think he could escape from he knowing what he knows." Itachi and Kisame gave the leader a small nod just before their forms faded from sight. "We shall hold on retrieving the one from Suna for the time being until Itachi and Kisame complete their mission."

"Just as well," a stout member with a wooden scorpion tail said. "Suna has increased their security since that Tsuki spy entered. And my many of subordinates have been called away from the village. It would be difficult to secure it now that they have the made it the Kazekage without help from the inside,"

"Agreed," the leader stated. "Sasori and Deidera you two will hold off on your plans for obtaining that one until a better time presents itself. For now we wait." The leader faded from view and the others soon followed.

Back in Konoha Naruto was in deep meditation focusing his conscious mind inward. After only a few seconds Naruto was looking upon the cage that housed the Kyuubi. He took several moments examining the cage and took note that there was a thick layer of blue covering the bars obscuring the demon from sight. Naruto knew that this was a mental image of his tightly compacted chakra inside his body. He had developed the ability to compact the chakra for two reasons. One so he could release it in a controlled manner to combat the Sharingan and the second was to keep the Kyuubi at bay. After the battle with Sasuke before he left the village showed him that Kyuubi could influence him more than he previously thought. He decided to find a way to limit that influence as much as possible and found a way in the samurai training. By compressing his chakra to one point, in this case around the seal, Naruto was not only able to gain incredible chakra control but also strengthen the seal.

The Kyuubi now had no way to influence Naruto in any way. So it was now a completely one-way existence, when Naruto would need the Kyuubi's chakra he would lower the chakra barrier and Kyuubi's chakra would come out. When Naruto approached the gate he lowered enough of the chakra barrier for Kyuubi's eyes to be shown. "I may need your chakra in the near future," Naruto said.

"**Is it the one that left**?" Kyuubi asked.

"No telling how strong he became, so it is possible," Naruto replied. "I was more thinking of the one controlling him."

"**The Snake**," Kyuubi stated. Naruto nodded as an answer. "**I shall be prepared.**"

Naruto raised the barrier once again and exited his mind. When he opened his eyes Naruto sensed someone approaching from his right. From the person's uneasy steps he concluded that who ever it could be was nervous about approaching him. Standing up Naruto went to greet his nervous visitor.

Coming up to the person Naruto was mildly surprised to see that Hinata. "Hello Hinata," Naruto greeted causing Hinata to jump just a little.

"H…hello N…Naruto-kun," Hinata returned. "I…I just w…wanted to say t…thank you for r…rescuing me." Hinata was rather nervous around Naruto. Before she was nervous because he was her inspiration to improve as person and a ninja. Now she was nervous because, like many of their friends, she did not know how to act around the new much quieter Naruto.

"It was no trouble Hinata," Naruto said. "You are a friend and fellow Konoha shinobi."

After a few minutes of occurred silence on her part Hinata realized that was all Naruto was going to say. "W…well I just w…wanted to thank you a…anyway."

"You are welcome Hinata," Naruto said. He looked at the sky and then back towards Hinata, "I must be going Hinata. I still have some training I need to do." Without another word Naruto walked off leaving Hinata by herself.

Left alone Hinata became somewhat depressed at Naruto's reaction. It was truly like talking to an entire different person now just like everyone had said. "What happened to you Naruto-kun?" she asked silently.


	4. Rematch of Rivals

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and only use it for entertainment purposes.

Sasuke stood at the border between Fire Country and Rice Country. He had come here alone not wanting Orochimaru or Kabuto interfering with this fight. This would be the time when he finally achieved the Mangekyou Sharingan thus making the fight extremely personal. He had to get Naruto away from the Konoha and all alone. He could afford to fight several people at once. Naruto was inferior to his new power he was sure, but if his old teammate had help the odds would be against the Sharingan user.

To get Naruto out of the Konoha, Sasuke would use the old man he captured on his way here to infiltrate Konoha and deliver a personal message to him. The old man was of no real consequence and was not a ninja so would not draw attention once inside Konoha. Sasuke placed him under a Genjutsu from the Sharingan that is almost undetectable to anyone without a Sharingan. With only one person in the whole village with one eye the chances the Genjutsu being detected were slim. Especially during the off hours, as Kakashi was never one to hang around anyone in his spare time. "Go," he ordered and the old man only gave a slight nod as a response. Now all Sasuke had to do was wait for three days and he would finally get the Mangekyo Sharingan. He would be able to leave Orochimaru and hunt down his brother.

Late at night Naruto was woken up by a knock on his door. He was somewhat surprised because he was certainly not expecting any company this late at night. Naruto figured that what ever the person wanted it must be important so he got up and answered the door. When he opened the door he saw an old man he had never seen before. After a brief examination Naruto could tell there was something off about this person though could not tell what so Naruto became guarded. "Did you want something Sir?" Naruto asked.

The old man looked at Naruto and spoke in a monotone voice, "Uchiha Sasuke is waiting."

Naruto did not show his surprise at the news. He knew the traitor would receive his message and send a reply but did not know it would be this soon. "When and where?" Naruto asked.

"He will meet you at the border between Fire and Rice Country near the Valley of the End," the old man answered. "He wants you to come alone."

Naruto thought for a moment about the challenge. This was his opportunity to bring Sasuke back but knew it was a trap. Sasuke would not have sent for him unless he felt he had learned all he could from Orochimaru. That meant Sasuke would be alone. "He never was one to want help in anything," Naruto thought. "His foolish pride would never allow him to think he needed it. I can count on that alone to ensure it would be just him and I." Out loud he said, "I'll be there." The old man stood still for a moment then just dropped to the ground unconscious after the Genjutsu wore off.

The next day Kakashi arrived at the training grounds late as usual only to find Sakura there alone. "Sakura where's Naruto?"

"I don't know Kakashi-sensei," Sakura answered. "Ever since he got back with Jiraiya-sama he would always get here ahead of me."

Kakashi became concerned at the news. "We should try and find him." Sakura nodded as she and the Copy Ninja left for Naruto's apartment.

After a quick search of Naruto's apartment and not finding anything the teacher and student split up and asked around if any had seen Naruto since yesterday. Sakura found out that the last anyone saw of Naruto was when he dropped off an old man at the hospital late at night. The odd thing was that the man had amnesia for several days and did not show any signs of trauma to the head. It was here that Kakashi caught up to Sakura and when she described what she knew he lifted his Hitai-Ate and examined the old man. When he found traces of a Genjutsu caused by another Sharingan he immediately what happened. "Sakura we need to get to the Hokage right away," Kakashi said in an urgent voice.

After two days of travel Naruto finally met up with Sasuke at the Valley of the End. The two formal rivals stood less than twenty meters from each other. To the average citizen this distance was more than far enough away to ensure safety from another person. To powerful shinobi this was well within the range of danger. It was odd just two and a half years ago the two met like this before and for the very same reason in both young shinobi's minds. Naruto was determined to bring Sasuke back and Sasuke was here to prove that he was stronger than his former teammate.

"Aren't you going to ask for me to come back?" Sasuke said with condescending smirk. He took note of Naruto's appearance and had to admit that the blonde had grown since his departure but Sasuke was still confident that he could defeat the Kyuubi prison.

"No," was Naruto's answer. Two years ago Naruto would have tried to convince Sasuke in returning. Now he did not waste time on words, he let actions speak for him and too him. And Sasuke's posture still had the same arrogance he had during the fight at the Valley of the End.

Sasuke repressed the chill that went up his spine from the cold look and simple emotionless tone Naruto spoke with. In the back of his mind he wondered what had happened to the smiling blonde idiot he knew before. Still that part of his mind was in so small that Sasuke paid it no heed. Instead his conscious thoughts were concentrating on another person that he knew that had a similarly cold attitude, his brother Itachi. The thought of his Clan's murder caused a spike in his anger and shift in his posture.

Naruto noticed the change and saw the repressed anger in the oil like eyes of his former friend. "He must be thinking about Itachi," Naruto deduced. Naruto even before he left with Jiraiya was good at seeing a person's true feelings and could deduce the person's motivation was from them. He did it against Neji in the finals of the Chunin Exam, he did it against Garra only hours later, the same could be said for Tsunade and even now he was performing the same skill.

"Let's see what you've learned Dobe," Sasuke addressed after he calmed himself. "Show me how much of the Kyuubi's power you have." Naruto gave a slight twitch at the revelation that Sasuke knew about the Kitsune. "Orochimaru told me about the Bijuu that was sealed inside of you. Call on its power I want to see the reason Itachi is after you." Sasuke dropped into the ready stance he copied from Lee years ago, "That is the only way you can hope to keep up with me."

"I don't need the Kyuubi's chakra to beat you Sasuke," Naruto replied. "There is nothing you can do that can defeat me now." Naruto spoke the truth in this aspect. For the last two and a half years he had been training and strategizing ways to defeat the Sharingan and had developed four key principles to counter it.

Principle one was speed. He learned this lesson from remembering the bout Sasuke and Lee had at the Chunin Exam. If you move you body fast enough then the user of the Sharingan could not react fast enough to counter. To capitalize on this Naruto spent his time training his body for extreme speeds and the result was the he was at least as fast as Gai without opening the Chakra Gates.

Principle two was eye contact. Or rather lack of eye contact. Jiraiya had informed Naruto of that the Sharingan could instantly hypnotize a person and trick them into performing the techniques the user wanted. Naruto himself remembered Zabuza had something similar in Wave. Naruto countered this aspect by learning to fight by looking at the different body parts on his opponent and learning to fight from there. Even now he had not made eye contact with Sasuke once, he had been looking at Sasuke's chest the entire time.

Principle three was not using hand seals. The Sharingan allowed a person to see and instantly memorize the hand seals a person uses. With the amount of jutsus that Orochimaru could teach Sasuke Naruto knew the Uchiha could counter just about every jutsu he could use by knowing what he was about to perform. Naruto would defeat this by fighting without relying entirely on hand seals. One reason he took up the sword, Kenjutsu did not use hand seals, as both hands were required to use a sword properly.

Principle four was the compression of his chakra. This was the final and culmination of Naruto's preparation of facing either of the Uchiha brothers. As he demonstrated against Kakashi the compression of his chakra canceled the Sharingan's greatest advantage, the ability to copy jutsus by seeing how the chakra was manipulated. The added effect of compression gave Naruto far greater chakra control than ever before. Combined with his unheard of stamina and chakra reserves meant that Naruto could out last just about any shinobi alive.

Sasuke angered by Naruto's proclamation activated his Sharingan. He started to perform hand seals and finished with tiger seal, "Katon: Karyuu Endan!" The dragon made of fire raced out of his mouth at an impressive speed. Naruto countered the fire-based attack by drawing his sword and slashing at the dragon. The result was about half way to Naruto the dragon was split in half dissipating the jutsu.

Sasuke was shocked not only by the display of skill but also because he could not track the movement of the blade nor see the release of charka required for such an advanced technique. When the fire died out and the smoke cleared Naruto was no longer in sight. Sasuke quickly moved from his location in order to avoid being a sitting target. He hated to admit it but apparently his former teammate had found a way to fully counter the Uchiha's legendary Blood Limit.

Naruto had dashed away the moment the smoke rose from the destroyed dragon. He knew he had to end this fight quickly as he was certain Sasuke did not come alone whether the traitor knew it or not. "Orochimaru and Kabuto are probably either watching and waiting or are on their way," Naruto thought. "The most efficient way to defeat Sasuke is to catch off guard and beat him with one decisive blow." After a second of deliberation Naruto thought of a plan that would work. "Sakura will probably not like this but it is the most efficient way to end this."

Sasuke was moving to higher ground to have the best advantage he could, when he suddenly heard and felt a change in the wind. It was too subtle to be the actual wind so his mind instantly concluded that the change was some kind of attack. Without further thought he jumped to the left and narrowly avoided a cross slash from an incredibly sharp katana. The evasion was so narrow in fact that it left a small cut on Sasuke's neck. "He almost killed me!" Sasuke thought. It was then he realized the seriousness of the fight and the fact that he severely underestimated what Naruto was willing to do. He turned just in time to avoid another lethal slash and quickly jumped away in order give himself more distance. "I have to take this much more seriously," Sasuke concluded. He then activated his Curse Seal Level Three totally by passing the Level Two completely. With Naruto's obvious proficiency in Kenjutsu and willingness to use lethal force Sasuke could not afford to waist time.

Naruto watched as Sasuke began to change. He immediately and easily noticed the increase of chakra output. He also took notice of the difference between his memory of the Level Two Curse Seal and the transformation he was witnessing. The biggest difference Naruto noticed was the skin pigmentation was different. Sasuke's skin was a deep purple collar almost but not quite black. Next the hair was not as white as snow but still stood in the same style as the Level Two. Out of Sasuke's back the wings became more dynamic looking more like bat wings then over grown webbed hands like before. And finally to complete the change Sasuke now supported a long tail at the small of his back. He now looked more like a demon of hell than he did at Level Two.

Sasuke did not waist anymore time and attacked Naruto. He may have been arrogant but Sasuke was never stupid, he did not want to give Naruto a chance to use his full strength. With lethal intent the fight took on a whole new level. As he charged, Sasuke performed the hand seals for Chidori and the black lighting began to crackle on his hand. Naruto saw this and made an attempt to dodge, this was countered by Sasuke thrusting out his other hand, "Senai Jashuu no Jutsu (Hidden Snake Hands)," the snakes rushed out of Sasuke's sleeve ahead of him and trapped Naruto mid dodge. With Naruto stopped dead in his tracks he was an easy target for the powerful Chidori.

It shocked Sasuke when Naruto disappeared in a cloud of smoke as soon as the Chidori impacted. "A Kage Bushin! (Shadow Clone)" Sasuke thought angrily.

Not far away Naruto saw his Kage Bushin disappear and knew this was his only chance to strike. Naruto dropped into a Kenjutsu stance with his sword raised edge up with both hands on the grip. He then sent a mental command, "NOW!" and chakra burst out of his back rocketing him forward.

Sasuke's only warning to the danger was the massive burst of chakra to his back. The next thing he knew was pain coming from the right side of his chest. From there physics took over and Sasuke was lurched forwarded slamming him into a large boulder three meters away. With the sudden surprise of the attack Sasuke had no way to prepare and was knocked unconscious by the impact despite the physical enhancements caused by the Curse Seal.

Naruto whipped his sword clean of Sasuke's blood and then reseathed it. The technique he used was an original that he came up with towards the end of his training. He had not thought of what to call it yet but the principle behind it was using his dual chakra (his and the Kyuubi's) in succession. First he transferred his chakra through out his body enhancing it. Then he called on Kyuubi's chakra and used a focused burst out his back propelling him forward at an unheard of velocity. The range of the new attack was only a few meters but it was utterly devastating. Naruto knew that it would quickly become a Kinjutsu as soon as Tsunade heard about it, as without his two-chakra signatures he would not be able to survive it. With heavy breaths Naruto approached the downed Uchiha as the transformed back to his original state. "Now to get him home before anyone shows up or he dies form his injuries," Naruto thought.

Not far away from where Sasuke and Naruto had just fought two men in long black cloaks with red clouds watched the battle. They were observing the fight for the right opportunity to apprehend their target. As the fight ended the smaller of the two started to advance when he did the other taller man put his arm on smaller man's shoulder halting his advance, "Kisame why are you stopping me?" Itachi asked.

"We should head back," Kisame answered.

"And why should we do that?" Itachi asked. It was not like the shark man to show such caution in their assignments so his action confused the elder Uchiha.

"The Brat has grown more than we could have anticipated," Kisame replied.

"How so?" Itachi was now intrigued. Kisame never gave praise to anyone of any kind.

"I recognize the Kenjutsu the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki used against your brother," Kisame answered. His voice sounded a mix of awe and reservation. "It is a Kenjutsu called Tenken (Sword of Heaven) and it is superior to nearly all other styles." Itachi gave the Nuke-nin a look for him to continue. "Before I left Kiri the Seven Swordsmen were sent to a small village in Southern Fire Country. The mission was to investigate rumors of expert swordsman in the area. Kiri has always prided itself on having the best swordsman so if there were Kenjutsu styles there of enough merit we were ordered to steal them. The village turned out to be a samurai village," Itachi became more intrigued by this as true samurai were very rare now but still considered dangerous opponents. "When we arrived we were confronted by the leader of the village. He fought all of us at the same time using Tenken." Kisame looked directly in the eye his face was grim, "of the seven only four left alive and we that lived were seriously injured." Kisame turned back to the direction Naruto left in, "The last move was new but the stances, the movements, the speed; it was all signature of the Tenken style. If you want to go after him I won't stop you. But I won't help you either, I'm not suicidal."

Itachi mulled over Kisame's story, he found it hard to believe what was described but Itachi could also tell Kisame was dead serious. Kisame may get overzealous in the assignments and a bit blood thirst but he was no fool. You do not get into Akatsuki by being all brawn and no brain. With Kisame's expertise in Kenjutsu, a subject Itachi was lacking in gave more credit to the advice to hold back. "Very well," Itachi conceded, "We shall inform the others of this development and plan the rest from there."


	5. Consequences of One's Actions

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and only use it for entertainment purposes.

In Konoha Tsunade was meeting with the Village Advisory Council. She had to them of Naruto leaving the Village the day before. It was hard to say how they would react. Some actually respected the boy for his loyalty to the Village. Naruto had proven valuable to Konoha for the fact alone he was instrumental in bringing Tsunade to be the Godaime. Others however still despised him because of the Kyuubi. They saw his strength and the fact that he could use the Kyuubi's chakra as a slap in the face to them and those that died fifteen years ago. One thing everyone on the Council was in agreement on was being wary of sending Naruto into the field because of Akatsuki.

With him leaving the Village on his own, those against Naruto would jump at the chance to have him hunted down saying he was traitor. That of course was a lie as there was no one more loyal to Konoha than Naruto. She would be able to counter the charge because Naruto left a trail clear enough for even Gennin to follow. Still he left without orders and that meant he needed to be punished. That would probably be suspension or maybe house arrest, that all depended on how far the Council was willing to push her. They could not override her authority no matter what, they were just advisors and she was the Hokage.

Naruto was resting in a small clearing several kilometers away from the Valley of the End. He had to rest because of the strain his Kenjutsu technique did to his chakra reserves. Normally he would have been able to move further but with the extra strain of the Kage Bushins (Shadow Clones) he created to help carry Sasuke he had to rest. He had given Sasuke first aide after he secured him with chakra binding chains. This ensured that Sasuke would live and would not be much of a threat on the slim chance if he woke up. Earlier Naruto took a Soldier Pill so his chakra was recovering and in a short amount of time he would be able to make it back to Konoha in under a day traveling non-stop.

He looked over at Sasuke's unconscious form and felt sorry for the Uchiha. The only thing his old teammate lived for the past ten years or so was revenge and in all honesty Naruto knew Sasuke would never get it. To beat Itachi Sasuke would have to become stronger than Orochimaru at single combat. For one on one Orochimaru was no match for Itachi because of the Mangekyou Sharingan. That was the reason the Uchiha Clan were the Konoha Shinobi Police Force the Sharingan gave them a superior edge over others in single combat.

In fact the vary reason the Snake Sannin never went after the elder Uchiha was because it would be suicide with the Mangekyo Sharingan. Orochimaru would never allow Sasuke to become stronger than him because then he would never get Sasuke's body. And if Sasuke was not as strong Orochimaru who was not as strong as Itachi, that meant even after everything Sasuke sacrificed for his revenge he would never get the chance to have.

"The question now is what will happen to him after we get back?" Naruto thought. "According to the Law he should get the same punishment as any Nuke-nin, death. However that could be put aside depending on how much influence the Curse Seal had on his mind." His calm face looked up at the sky noting it was getting late so he should be moving soon. He closed his eyes and meditated to check his chakra reserves and found it was at sufficient to make the journey back home. He put his hands into the cross hand seal and spoke, "Kage Bushin no Jutsu." Two clones appeared and picked up the injured traitor and followed the original Naruto as he left the clearing.

At a surprisingly short distance away Kakashi, Sakura, Asuma and his team were following Kakashi's dog Pakkun. They were following the Kyuubi Prison's trail on orders from the Hokage to find and retrieve him. Once Kakashi had informed of the traces of a Genjutsu from Sharingan origins the Godaime concluded the same thing the Copy Cat Ninja did. Either Sasuke or Itachi contacted Naruto. The fact that Naruto had not told anyone lent to Sasuke as the source of the Genjutsu. The promise Naruto made to bring Sasuke back made it personal enough to go it alone.

As the seven traveled it was easy for the dog to pick up Naruto's trail. He was clear to everyone he was anticipation pursuit but because he was not trying to run away he left it for back up to follow. This served two purposes, one it would keep him from being labeled a traitor and Hunter-nin going after him. And two it allowed others to reach him in time if he needed help. The only real punishment he would receive, regardless of what some may want, would be a reprimand for leaving the village without permission.

Pakkun was actively sniffing the air as he led the group. He suddenly picked up Naruto's scent on the wind much stronger than it would have been if it were a day old. That meant that Naruto was in the area, "Kakashi, Naruto is close by? I think he is traveling back to Konoha."

"Do you smell anything else Pakkun?" Kakashi asked.

The talking pug sniffed the air once again. "Yes I smell blood," the group became tense at that, "And something else," he sniffed just to be sure. "I also smell Sasuke!"

"Sasuke-kun is with Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"It is most likely that it was Sasuke that put the old man under the Genjutsu," Kakashi explained. "With the blood Pakkun smelled it is likely the two of the fought. If Naruto is returning to Konoha then that means he most likely won."

"Do you think Naruto killed Uchiha?" Asuma asked.

"Impossible to tell from here," Kakashi answered. "The decay of a body does not set in for at least a day." He turned to address his summon helper, "Pakkun which way is the scent coming from."

The little dog summon took a couple sniffs in the air. "Off to the west I would say," another sniff, "Ten kilometers or so."

"You heard him," Asuma said the young Chunins. The four teenagers nodded and headed off to the west.

Three minutes later the seven came upon three Naruto's standing at the base of a tree apparently waiting for them. Two of the three were holding an unconscious Sasuke in between them. "Sakura-san, he needs medical treatment," Naruto said. It was polite but concise and to the point. Just what everyone that had run into Naruto since his return had come to expect.

"Thank you Naruto, I'll take care of it from here." Sakura said. She went over to her childhood crush as the Kage Bushins put him down. After a through inspection of the unconscious form she determined that Sasuke had three broken ribs, a fractured thigh and a stab wound that went cleaning through the his chest. She could tell first aide had been given and Sasuke was stable but the wound on the chest needed to be closed. With a soft green glow of healing chakra the wound closed on Sasuke's chest first and then a few minutes later the wound on his back followed. "That is all I should do for him now," Sakura reported. "For the broken bones to be healed properly it should be done at the hospital."

"Good work Sakura," Kakashi said. "Naruto, tell us what happened."

Naruto nodded and explained everything that happened from the time the old man knocked on his door to the defeat of Sasuke. After the report Naruto suggested, "We should leave. Orochimaru may come to retrieve Sasuke at any moment."

"Agreed," Kakashi replied. "Dismiss your Kage Bushins in order to conserve your energy. Chouji you and Asuma carry Sasuke."

The Jounin and Chunin made no argument. Kakashi had seniority in the mission because it involved his students. Plus the two of them had the best energy reserves of the retrieval team so they could afford the extra burden. After they picked up Sasuke the Konoha shinobi jumped back towards Konoha.

Hours later they entered through the north gate. From there they split up with Sakura, Asuma and Chouji taking Sasuke to the hospital and Kakashi, Naruto, Ino and Shikamaru heading for the Hokage Tower. The trip through the village was like the trip back, almost complete silence. Only the occasional question from Ino and the response from the men interrupted the quite. When the reached the Tower they were immediately met by two Anbu and taken to the Tsunade. When they entered her Office Tsunade spoke up, "Ino, Shikamaru you two are dismissed." The pair bowed and left without another word. "You two," she said addressing the Anbu, "Can wait outside." The Anbu complied and closed the door behind them. When only the Godaime, Kakashi and Naruto remained she ordered Naruto, "Tell me why you left the village without consulting me first."

"The message the old man delivered to me stated that I needed to come alone," Naruto began. "If I had shown up with any help Sasuke may have run off. I apologize for leaving without permission but I felt it was the best course of action to retrieve him."

"You realize the only reason the Hunter-nins were not sent after you was because you left a clear trail for them to follow," Tsunade said. "And even then there were still several people that wanted you listed as a Nuke-nin and hunted down."

"Yes Tsunade-sama," Naruto answered.

"Then you are also aware I have to punish you for you're actions?" Tsunade asked. She was hoping Naruto act like his old self and complain, showing that the kid they knew was still a part of the man that stood before her. Sadly all Naruto did was give small nod showing he was willing to accept the punishment. "Very well. You're punishment will be a reduction in payment in any mission you take for six missions you go on that are C-class of above as well as confinement to the village until I say otherwise. Is that understood?"

"Yes Tsunade-sama," Naruto answered.

"Good, now tell me what happened when you confronted Sasuke," Tsunade ordered. Naruto repeated what he told Kakashi hours prior. His face maintained the ice like quality through out the report. "Thank you Naruto, you are dismissed as well." Naruto gave a polite bow and left the Office. "He said he only used a burst of Kyuubi's chakra to achieve the thrust and though I believe him…"

"You want to know if I sensed it," Kakashi concluded. "No, I didn't sense the Kyuubi's chakra. But at the time of the fight we were only half way to the Valley of the End. Kyuubi's chakra is potent but even at that distance a burst cannot be detected. So when are you going to list the technique he descried as a Kinjutsu?"

"As soon as Naruto thinks up a name for it," Tsunade answered. "I doubt anyone other than Naruto can that Kenjutsu. Even others like him like Gaara don't have a dual chakra nature." Kakashi gave a small nod of acknowledgment of the truth to the statement. "Now we need to go to the hospital and examine Sasuke. We need to determine what his punishment will be."

"There will be some people that will be upset if his punishment is death," Kakashi warned.

"Sasuke was listed as a Class-A Nuke-nin when he left for Orochimaru," Tsunade responded. "If it was solely his choice then it does not matter what anyone says the Law says he will be executed."

"What about Sakura?" Kakashi asked.

"I've told her the consequences Sasuke would have to face when he was brought back, many times," Tsunade answered. Left unsaid was that Sakura would understand on conscious level but on an emotional level she would be devastated.

When Naruto left Tsunade's office the only thing the filled his mind was what might happen to Sakura once Sasuke's punishment was decided. He could see it in the way she looked at him when she was treating his wounds. She still cared very deeply for Sasuke; whether it was same affection she claimed when they were all Rookie Gennin was still in question. One thing Naruto knew for sure was that back then she did not love Sasuke, not like a lover anyway. He knew this because he experience that kind of love first hand and another thing was they were far to young to know what that felt like.

Thinking about Keiko made his cures the handle on his katana. He inherited it from her just like he did her sword style; it was his way of remembering her and the promise he made when she died in his arms…

Naruto was holding a girl that if not covered in blood would have truly breathtaking to look at. Her once long dark purple hair now was stained with blood, her lightly tanned skin now pale from blood loss, once joyful eye now rattled with the sadness of leaving a loved one behind. "You…can't…die…yet," she gasped. "You…need…to…become Ho…Hokage. Pr…promise…me…you'll…live."

"I swear Keiko-chan, I'll live," Naruto said as her last breath left her body. He gently laid her down on the grown and picked up her katana from close by. Instead of crying out in anger or sadness Naruto did the opposite. He buried his emotions deep within himself and he became like ice. When he looked up everyone around him stopped from the coldness of his eyes. "But you will die," his voice sent a shiver up the spine of the Nuke-nin that was in front of him. The one that killed Keiko…

Naruto corseted the handle one more time, "I'm still living Keiko-chan." He let his hand drop from the katana and made his way back to his apartment.

At the Hospital Sakura was finishing cleaning up after fully healing Sasuke's injuries. As soon as she and the other medics were finished four Anbu immediately came in and took Sasuke away. As the Hokage's student she knew that he was taken to the High Security Holding Cell out among the vast forest behind the Hokage Monument. There the best Seal Experts in the Village, most liking including Jiraiya himself, would examine him. Little known fact was that of the three students of the Sandaime Hokage, Jiraiya was the best when it came to analyzing and producing Seals. It was him that originally came up with the containment Seal that Kakashi placed on Sasuke nearly three years ago.

After a thorough examination of the Seal and just how much it affected the possessor they would determine what kind of punishment Sasuke would face. Depending on the influence the Seal has over the victim Sasuke's punishment would be anywhere from house arrest for a few years to outright execution. When Sakura was first informed of this she tried to protest and swore Sasuke's innocence. Tsunade told her flat out that if Sasuke was a willing participant than only death was the punishment for crimes he committed; abandoning Konoha, attempting to kill a fellow shinobi, working with another traitor, and resisting arrest. "What will I do if he is executed?" Sakura asked herself. She had been asking herself that question everyday for two years and even now she had no answer.

Back at the Hokage Tower Tsunade was meeting with her teammate once again. "You are aware they are going to start moving against you?" Jiraiya inquired. "They can't do it directly but if they can get enough support from the Clans they can put sufficient pressure on you to concede to whatever demands they want."

"I know," Tsunade answered. "But as things stand they can't do anything really. The issue over sending Naruto out into the field has been tabled for now. In their minds Naruto is safe away from where Akatsuki can get to him. The question is, how much of a threat Akatsuki actually is to him?"

"Far less than those old bats think," Jiraiya answered. "With Kakashi and Sakura backing him it would take more than just two of their members to capture him. And from my sources say the members stay pretty far away from each other."

"Have you gotten anymore information on their identities?" Tsunade asked. "With more information we can set up better counter measures."

"Nothing concrete other than the ones we already know about," Jiraiya answered. "Though Suna has said Sasori of the Red Sands may be part of it. I've looked into his abilities and he would fit in terms of strength. It is rumored he was able to fight the Sandaime Kazekage to a stand still."

"If that were true it would be rather impressive," Tsunade answered. "Sensei's old journals said he was a formidable opponent. Up there in terms of the Shodaime because of his ability to control magnetic fields."

"I'll be sure to contact my resources more thoroughly," Jiraiya replied. "I have a couple that I don't normally use because they're more temperamental than Gamabunta, but if they have any information it will accurate."

"Then go ahead and contact them," Tsunade replied. "If you need anything let me know and I'll arrange it. Just do your best to get the information." Jiraiya gave a nod and disappeared in a swirl of leaves. "What will be their next move I wonder?" If anyone were listening they would have wondered if Tsunade was talking about Akatsuki or those against her in the Village.


End file.
